Virat Kohli overtakes Shubman Gill, inches closer to Rohit Sharma’s No.1 spot in ICC ODI rankings

Virat Kohli has displaced Shubman Gill in the latest ICC ODI Rankings and is now closing in on Rohit Sharma’s top spot. With consistent performances boosting his rating, Kohli has reignited the race for the No. 1 crown, tightening the battle at the top of world cricket.

Virat Kohli has secured a position in the most recent ICC ODI rankings, following his remarkable 52nd century in this format, which is also his overall 83rd century, achieved during the series opener in Ranchi against South Africa. Kohli has ascended to the No. 4 spot among ODI batters, drawing closer to the top position. His advancement has resulted in Indian Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill dropping to fifth place due to his ongoing absence from the format, a consequence of a neck injury sustained during the Test series.

Kohli has reached 751 rating points, now just 32 points behind the top batter, his fellow countryman Rohit Sharma. Rohit has maintained his lead, increasing his points to 783 after a brisk 57-run innings in the series opener in Ranchi. Although Rohit’s gain was modest, the focus will be on maintaining this strong performance throughout the remaining ODIs in the series.

Rank
Player
Country
Rating

1
Rohit Sharma
 India
783

2
Daryl Mitchell
New Zealand
766

3
Ibrahim Zadran
Afghanistan
764

4
Virat Kohli
India
751

5
Shubman Gill
India
738

6
Babar Azam
Pakistan
722

7
Harry Tector
Ireland
708

8
Shai Hope
West Indies
701

9
Shreyas Iyer
India
693

10
Charith Asalanka
Sri Lanka
690

*Rankings and ratings are based on the latest ICC official updates as of December 2025.

For Kohli, this performance marks a powerful continuation of his form, reminiscent of his return in Australia during the series finale in Sydney. Ranchi witnessed a classic display from Kohli, who started strongly, aggressively taking on the bowlers, hitting sixes with ease, before slowing down to stabilize his innings and then accelerating again to finish with 135 runs. This innings was crucial not only for Kohli but also for India, especially as South Africa came close to surpassing it, driven by Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch.

Other batters making gains include stand-in India captain KL Rahul and South Africa’s Matthew Breetzke. Rahul, batting at six, delivered a rapid 60 runs off just 55 balls, helping lift India’s total to 349 in the final 10 overs. As a result, Rahul climbed a couple of spots to joint-14th place. Meanwhile, Breetzke, boasting an impressive average of 68 after just 10 ODIs, continued his excellent form by scoring 72 runs, which propelled him up 17 places to joint 30th position.

With a few more matches remaining, further changes in the ODI rankings for both batters and bowlers are anticipated during the India-South Africa series.

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